Demon Cure
by lamune.soda
Summary: Mysterious boxes appear from unknown origins and the new commander of the Demon Slayer Corps calls for the pillars to take responsibility for each. Even when their spirits are down from losing another pillar, the contains inside might turn that around for the better. Mostly ShinobuxGiyu
1. Box Selection

It was an aberrant and very much ominous atmosphere as the pillars form in front of the newly appointed commander of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kiriya Ubuyashiki. Tanjiro, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke feel even more so out of place as they weren't pillars themselves, but were still told to come. The weather was befitting for the occasion, cloudy and slightly raining, as the death of another pillar, the insect pillar, was weighing on the others. Everyone was lowering their heads, waiting for instruction from their leader.  
Even Inosuke was calm, however Zenitsu was shivering from both the cold and nerves.

"T-Tanjiro... Tanjiro, is it me or does it seem like something bad is about to happen? Hey... Tanjiro." Zenitsu whispers.

"Shhhh, I don't know, but for now..."

"Tanjiro." Kiriya sounds out.

"YES! Kiriya-sama!" Tanjiro yells.

"Tanjiro, what is your opinion on demons? More specifically, how do you see humans and demons working together?"

"Well... I mean, in my case being with Nezuko... It's really hard to say. I mean demons themselves were once humans..." Tanjiro wasn't ready to be put on the spot as he fumbles with his words.

"Then my other question would be, what did it take for Nezuko to be cooperative as she now? A demon who protects humans."

This question makes the pillars tense, "what a strange question" everyone thought.

"I'm not sure myself, but I think a big part of it is her willpower. She's stronger than me in that respect. Her love for her family, I don't know for sure, but I believed."

"Then I will continue with the matter at hand. Bring the boxes."

With a simple command, a group of Kakushi begin bringing in boxes which looked very similar to that of Nezuko's.

"Wait, Kiriya-sama, you don't mean?" Sanemi rises to his feet.

"If you're perceiving what I think you are, then yes. Now, I shall continue." Kiriya keeping his usual demeanor causes Sanemi to quickly retreat to his previous position.

"These boxes do contain demons, but these are times that require the Demon Slayer Corps to take drastic measures. I will not inquire any opinions on the matter, I only desire that you follow my orders."

"As you wish." Everyone responses in unison, except for Inosuke who was asleep in place.

"These boxes appeared at the headquarters not too long ago. Their origins are a mystery, but the contents are somewhat reassuring as to why I asked Tanjiro those questions. I will now call the names of who will take charge of each box." Kiriya announces as Kakushi take a position next to each one.

"Himejima Gyomei."

"Shinazugawa Sanemi."

"Tomioka Giyu."

"Agatsuma Zenitsu."

"Eh eeeeeeeeehhh. No no no, looking after a demon is... Eiyaaah!" Zenitsu lifts his head and begins to panic as the box is placed next to him. He hugs Tanjiro, but he headbutts and shushes him. Zenitsu continues to quietly hide behind Tanjiro with a bump on his head.

"And finally, Hashibira Inosuke."

Inosuke's snot bubble pops once his box is placed next him.

"Huh?! What is this box?" Inosuke yells and starts shaking the box.

"Inosuke, stop it. You're going to upset the demon inside." Tanjiro hisses and grabs Inosuke.

"Haa!? A demon? Then an easy kill for me." Inosuke grabs his swords and starts waving them in the air, but Zenitsu comes over to help suppress him.

"You idiot, didn't you hear what Kiriya-sama said. We are in charge of the demons inside them boxes. And stop acting up in front of the commander and pillars." Zenitsu spits out.

Luckily Tanjiro quickly acts and headbutts Inosuke, knocking him out. Later apologizes and returns to his position.

"This meeting is over, take this time to adapt to your new arrangement. The Demon Moons will not rest, neither shall we."

With that, Kiriya, along with his sisters, disappear into the estate leaving behind the pillars. Without skipping a beat Giyu gets up and swings the box with straps onto his back then walks away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sanemi yells.

"Back to my home."

"This doesn't bother you?"

"If Kiriya-sama commands it, I have an obligation as a pillar to support it." Giyu stops for a moment then begins walking again in the rain.

"Hey, you bastard!"

"Calm yourself, Sanemi. If you continue to go against the commander, you will only do yourself a disservice." Gyomei chimes in, also rising to his feet with a box over his shoulder.

Sanemi clicks his tongue and grabs his box then storms off. The other pillars walk off as well to get out of rain.

"T-Tanjiro, how strong are these boxes? What if the demon inside punches a hole through my back or crawls through my ear and eats my brain?" Zenitsu cries, holding onto his sleeve.

"It'll be fine, Zenitsu. Kiriya-sama knows what he's doing... yeah."

"What was that pause? What was that pause, Tanjiro?"

"Shut up! If you're strong then a tiny demon is no threat!" Inosuke yells at the sky, placing a foot on his box after waking up.

"But I'm not strong."

"We'll figure it out later. For now, let's get out of the rain."

The trio walk back to the Butterfly Estate since they were still riddled with serious injuries. It wasn't long before they reached their room after drying off and getting into pajamas. Zenitsu hesitantly places his box in the corner while Inosuke places his in front of his bed with swords in hand.

"Get out, you demon. If you're gonna fight by my side, it's only natural that I kick your ass to put you in your place."

"H-H-Hey, Inosuke, don't provoke it. We're trying to sleep and I don't need a pissed-off demon just a few feet from where I sleep."

"Zenitsu is right. You can't start a partnership with that kind of tact." Tanjiro warns him before throwing a blanket over himself. Nezuko was already sound asleep next to Tanjiro.

The door of the box begins to open slowly.

"Oh, so you do have some guts." Inosuke growls.

Tanjiro lifts his head a little to see everything unfold as Zenitsu hides behind his covers, shivering in fear. Once the door opens all the way, from the shadows of the box, appears a child with twin tails and a dress with an apron.

"Eh?" Zenitsu says.

"K-Kanzaki-san?"

"Huh!? Twin tail? When did you get demonized? But more importantly, I said that I will test your strength, didn't I? Prepare yourself!"

"Inosuke, she's only..." Tanjiro is cut off by Aoi's sudden angered expression.

Aoi pouts and clenches her fists, triggered by all the wounds covering Inosuke's body. Without warning, Aoi jumps and bumps her head into Inosuke's broken ribs, causing him to fall on his bed.

"You, brat! I'll cut you in half!"

"Ahhhh, she's attacking!"

"Inosuke, are you ok!?"

Aoi jumps on top of Inosuke and bears her fangs at him. Trying to block her, he instead gets his hand nibbled on.

"Ahhhhhhhh she's eating him!"

"Quiet down, Zenitsu. Shhh Shhh."

"Bwaah ha ha! Your tiny fangs don't hurt at all... in fact... I.. I.. don't... feel...feel... it at... Zzzzzzz."

Inosuke passes out.

"He's Deeeeead!"

"I'm pretty sure that's not the case." Tanjiro said, a bit worried until Inosuke started snoring deeply in his sleep.

At this point, Aoi held a more innocent expression as she begins rubbing ointment she had in her apron on to some of his injuries. What was once black and purple slowly became nonexistent. Tanjiro just remembered the butterfly Estate coming under attack, perhaps Aoi fell victim, but that doesn't explain why she was the way she is. Zenitsu suddenly switched modes, thinking if Aoi was in the box then she will turn into a beautiful woman like Nezuko, then if he has his own, that means he has his own potential cute partner.

"Though I can't imagine a prettier face than Nezuko-chan's, I'm sure there is bound to be an angel in mine too." Zenitsu says with delight and sits in front of his box.

He opens it with glee, but is greeted by a snarling beast. Though a child, he definitely took on the appearance of a demon and even had the bamboo mouthpiece. What made Zenitsu sweat was the black lightning emitting from him as they locked eyes. Zenitsu quickly shuts the door, then after an awkward pause, leaps towards Tanjiro to grab his collar.

"Trade...Trade me, Tanjiro. Even Inosuke, I just can't have him. Give me my angel, you lucky bastards?"

"Ehhh? Who is it?"

"It's... it's Kaigaku"

"Eeeeeeeehhh?"

"That's my line!" Zenitsu screams into his face.

* * *

Giyu returns from a bath to his room where he left the box containing a demon. He wasted no time getting into his futon, blowing out the candle in the process. A few hours pass, and Giyu was sound asleep. The only person not resting their eyes was the one inside the box. Giyu suddenly wakes up and looks at the box, to see it open. Slightly surprised, he felt a presence on the other side of him. As he turns his head, his movements are stopped by a tiny finger poking his cheek.

"Tomioka-san, despite how well that chest is crafted, I prefer a futon to rest in. So, Tomioka-san, I ask that you sleep somewhere else."

Giyu takes in the small figure that is Shinobu with an expressionless face then furrows his brows.

"Eh?"

* * *

Sanemi was quick to confront his demon, in fact he was already punishing it by grinding his knuckles into his temples.

"You idiot, didn't you think that maybe consuming a piece of a demon would change you into one?" Sanemi hisses.

Unfortunately, the pint-size Genya with a bamboo mouthguard cries with no excuse to spare, but it's not like he could say it.

* * *

The strongest of the pillars resides in a temple, chanting and praying as the rain continues to pour. And on his lap was a sleeping demon with black hair as long as its body and butterfly pins on each side. Earlier, Gyomei opened the box only to tear up more when seeing a familiar face sound asleep. Kanae in her child form, was curled up in a ball until she felt the dim candle light touch her face. She stirs a bit and sits up to rub her eyes. She eventually looks up to see the stone pillar's towering figure. She just smiles and raises her arms in which Gyomei picks her up.

"Poor child, to be reborn as a demon. But for you to come back to fulfill your duties as a pillar, what spirit. Or perhaps you still have things you must do before passing on." Gyomei continues to ponder until Kanae lets out a yawn and slumps her head. Now to the present, where is Gyomei is patting Kanae's head as she continues to nap on his lap.

Just outside the temple, Mitsuri peeks through the window in awe watching the former flower pillar snooze.

"C-C-Cute."


	2. Inosuke's Mission

It wasn't long before Inosuke received a mission from headquarters involving a large group of demons attacking a village. Despite Tanjiro insisting on giving a helping hand, the crow with the message follows up with strict instruction that only Inosuke and Aoi go. Inosuke was quick to feel smug about this as his grin is felt through his mask. Inosuke even mentions how much faster he healed compared to his comrades.

"If only you had my superior healing abilities, my minions!" Inosuke jumping on his bed and pointing fingers.

"Shut up, you moron! I'm still resting and not to mention... you know how hard it is to feed that thing?" Zenitsu hollers back, showing the bite marks on his hands, then pointing at the box with black lightning cracking around it.

"But be careful, Inosuke." Tanjiro takes his medicine powder.

**_*howa howa*_**

"Oi, stop making me feel all howa howa, Kanpachi!" Inosuke thrashes around.

"Of course, Kanzaki-san, too." Tanjiro pats her head.

Aoi didn't have a mouthguard like Nezuko but she did speak just as much, responding with a muffled cry.

Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho walk in with lunch boxes and are greeted by Aoi. Aoi pointed at her box and the trio started packing it.

"You bastards! That's my box!?"

"Aoi-neesan asked us to pack lunches for your sake." Kiyo sternly answers then receives a head pat from the chibi Aoi-san.

"Tssh, then say so earlier."

"Be careful on your mission, Aoi-neesan." The three say at the same time.

Aoi gives them a thumbs up and crawls into the chest. Inosuke jumps off the bed and places the chest on his back, putting on both straps.

"Let's do this! Ha ha ha!" Inosuke shouts then dashes and crashes through the window.

"Eeeeeh, how stupid can that boar head be?" Zenitsu words out followed by a sweat drop.

"Well, it is Inosuke... I'm sure he'll be okay, since Kanzaki-san is with him."

Tanjiro plays back the memory of Aoi healing Inosuke and even force-feeding him his medicine. As reckless as Inosuke is, it's good to know that someone like Aoi is with him. Tanjiro looks over to see Zenitsu shaking with a pair of chopsticks in hand holding a piece of mackerel and guiding it into a crack of his box. His chopsticks are taken from him and later thrown at his face, making Thunder-breath user cry. Zenitsu even begged the servants of the Butterfly Estate to take over but gets instantly rejected. Tanjiro just gives a nervous laugh and brushes a hand across Nezuko's sleeping face.

* * *

Off in the countryside, Inosuke is in full dash following the Kasugai crow. He runs through farmland and small villages, raising a fuss as bystanders quickly get out of the way of the strange creature with a box on his back. Eventually, Inosuke reaches his stop which was a familiar rundown farmhouse that he hasn't seen in years, however, he couldn't really get a good look since he passed out from exhaustion from sprinting a three-day trip in half a day.

"Oh my, what a strange man." A blind woman starts touching Inosuke's mask.

"What's wrong, Tomomi? GEH! Get away from that thing!" Takaharu screams, knowing full-well who it was.

"But he seems tired and not to mention, such a small child is with him."

Takaharu brings his wife a few steps back before looking at the box on Inosuke's back begin to open, revealing Aoi. Though her sight was gone, her sense of touch was great. Takaharu was hesitant and hated Inosuke for his rudeness and bad temperament, but all in all, he was family, plus he couldn't ignore his wife's wishes.

"Fine." The husband surrenders and begins carrying Inosuke on his back. "But hurry, it's already nightfall and we need to quickly burn some Wisteria incense."

Tomomi lifts Aoi from her box and carries her over too. After laying Inosuke on a futon, the couple begin boarding up the house and lighting the incense. Tomomi begins taking out food to lighten the mood and tried to converse with Aoi.

"What's your name?"

"Mmph."

"Hm? Ah, I see. Good girl good girl." Tomomi pats her head.

"Don't tell me she has the same problem as Inosuke when he was young?" Takaharu says with an exhausted expression as he lights a fire for the pot.

"So, this is the boar child, you and your grandfather found?"

Tomomi begins searching the floor for other condiments then feels Aoi's tiny hands grab hers. Aoi then traces her characters into her palm.

"Ah Aoi-chan, you already know how to write. Then, Aoi-chan can you pass me the umeboshi?"

Aoi gladly offered a hand and even took out all the food that was packed in her box surprising everyone. Because they never stopped during their trip, they had plenty stocked up. Inosuke was still sound asleep while everyone else ate until his body stiffened from the sudden change in atmosphere. A creature from outside swiftly storms through the fields and crashes through the barricaded door. A demon, a deformed bear with grotesque eyes covering its body, charges towards Takaharu.

"The Wisteria isn't working!? Tomomi get back!"

Tomomi covers Aoi as Takaharu trembles in fear but continues to hold a knife against the charging beast. At the last possible second, the bear's head that was trying to take a bite out of the farmer is stabbed from above, impaling it the ground.

"Just when I was waking up to eat some food, a demon shows up."

"I-Inosuke."

"Hmmm, Takasuke?"

"Who the hell is Takasuke!?"

"YOU!" Inosuke yells using his other blade to cut the bear's head off.

"Looks like running here like crazy worked out."

"Don't tell me, you're the demon slayer they sent?"

"Of course, Bwah ha ha ha! This is like faith, like gramps wanted me to save your ass."

Takaharu sighs, but he was relieved to see his dumb adopted brother healthy and that he still thinks of them, however, now there's a gaping hole in the house and they could see sinister eyes light up like stars in the night sky in the darkness. Before Inosuke took position in front of the entrance, Aoi wiggles her way out of Tomomi's grasp and starts piling food on a plate and brings it to Inosuke.

"Good job, minion one. I needed this." Inosuke quickly stuffs his face.

Tomomi goes with the flow and brings him a cup of sweet lemon tea in which he chugs. Leaving him with a *howa howa* expression.

"Sooo Gooood!"

Inosuke regained his strength and runs off into the darkness. All worried, the couple reach out but are stopped by Aoi who motion them to stay put which they reluctantly do. They hear Inosuke scream Fang forms followed by demonic howls of pain. It didn't take long as dawn came earlier, the sun began to illuminate the fields showing Inosuke covered in wounds but still standing strong. Aoi notices the shadows inside the house disappearing and retreats to her box, surprising Tomomi.

"Ah Aoi-chan." She follows her thinking the experience scared her.

Takaharu couldn't believe such a foul-mouthed child could turn into a demon slayer, even his grandfather would be proud. Something is wrong as Inosuke walks over to the house and sits down next to him to take a breather.

"Takasuke, something is off."

"It's Takaharu, Ta-ka-ha-ru, but anyway what is it?"

"Those demons were definitely being controlled by something and all of them were animals of the forest, some were even cows and pigs."

"Now that you mention it, some of the farmers were missing some of their livestock. With thought it was weird for demons to be devouring animals."

"Message! Message! Caw! Lower Moons spotted! Hashibira Inosuke is to eliminate both immediately!" The crow screeches.

"It talked!" Takaharu screams hiding behind Inosuke.

"Two lower moons, by myself... Hell yeah! WRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Inosuke jumps in the air and later returns to the living room to eat some more. Inosuke blocks the entrance with a wooden board to shut out the sunlight. Aoi returns to his side and starts patching him up. In the middle of his feast, he suddenly remembers something.

"Oi, Takanoke, where is gramps' grave?"

"Eh? W-Well it's in the back."

Inosuke brings some food with him and heads to the back, but Aoi made sure to stay in the shade.

"Yo gramps, it's the great Inosuke. I brought some treasures." Inosuke kneels at the foot of a gravestone and lays down some acorns and trinkets. "I'm even closer to being a pillar, Ha Ha Ha! I even saved Takashite's ass!" Inosuke was talking as if gramps was there. Aoi sits patiently watching Inosuke.

"Aoi-chan, why don't you join him and say hello too?" Tomomi asks, giving Aoi a daifuku.

Aoi just shakes her head.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you, she's a demon so she can't go into the sunlight."

Takaharu jumps backs panicking while his wife is slightly shocked.

"Hmm? I don't really feel anything bad coming from her though." Tomomi pats her head and hands her a cup of tea.

Inosuke looks over to see another grave with a smaller gravestone.

"Oi, woman! What does this say?"

"Eh me? Well that says, Kaemon." Tomomi says in a sorrowful tone while keeping a smile and looking down.

Before she could continue, Takaharu steps in.

"That's our son's grave, he was taken by the demons who started attacking us a few months ago."

Before the mood got any gloomier, Tomomi invited everyone back in for lunch. Inosuke didn't have any more outbursts, in fact he seemed more focused. The meal was quiet aside from Tomomi feeding Aoi. After the meal, Inosuke started carving pikes and building barriers around the house. There was a whole village but, their home was closer to the forest making it a quick target.

"What's your name, woman?"

"Hey, Inosuke try speaking more..."

"My name is Tomomi, it's nice to finally meet you, Inosuke."

_***howa howa***_

"O-Of course it is. You married that stupid Takasaki, so you're now my family too." Inosuke crosses his arms and looks away.

"You should leave and head closer to the village." Inosuke warns them, feeling the demons getting closer.

"I can't do that, I can't leave Kaemon alone."

"Tomomi... Well as her husband I can't leave them behind."

"Hmmm, family is important, then as your older brother, I will protect you!"

"You're younger than us, you idiot!"

The sun finally sets, thus signaling the demons to charge. The couple quickly retreats underneath the floorboards. Tomomi takes Aoi and hugs her as if her life depended on it. Inosuke stabs his nichirin blades into the ground.

"Beast Breathing, Seventh Fang: Spatial Awareness."

He feels the presence of multiple demonic animals and one human figure at the top of the mountain. Upon finding one of the possible lower moons, Inosuke dodges a mad cow's charge and few feral dogs. He begins his attack on the demon army, taking advantage of the barriers he made. The couple back in the house lower their heads as the carnage continues to echo outside. One demon slips by, but Inosuke was held off by its comrades. The possessed wolf rips the floorboard off and bares his fangs at the couple. Takaharu panics and throws a sickle he had on his waist at the wolf catching it in the eye, then proceeds to cover his wife and Aoi.

Aoi felt the danger imposing on them. Tomomi and Takaharu are protecting her despite knowing what she is. Anger is what she felt; kind people are at the mercy of these monsters, unforgivable. Already falling victim to demons before, Aoi didn't want them going through it again. In an instant, Aoi grows into her original body and grabs the couple. Aoi rapidly spins, switching places with them. The couple was still holding tight, but they were now below Aoi. She launches her leg skyward, crushing the face of the wolf and out of the house.

"Eh? Aoi-chan?" Tomomi says, confused, feeling a pair of soft hands grasp hers.

"Sit tight, Tomomi-san. When everything is over, you won't have to worry about demons anymore." Aoi tells them as she makes her way to the battlefield, cracking her knuckles on the way. Any demon that slipped by was handled by Aoi. A dog tried biting her, but Aoi grabbed it by the upper and lower jaw and rips it in half. Another bear comes through however is greeted with a fist bashing its head in followed by a foot stomp to finish it off. Inosuke already defeated a couple dozen demons but started to feel light-headed from using too many breaths. After cutting a wild ox in half, the other animals begin to back off to open a path.

"So, you guys were losing so bad, your boss had to come out here." Inosuke says in between breaths, then looks over to see a grown Aoi standing next to him, causing him to freak out but Aoi punches his head to calm him down.

"Shut up, Inosuke, it seems like the culprit is finally showing their face."

"I know that!"

"I admire your skills in defeating my pets, but I think the games end here." A demon with a fur vest and gray skin appears standing atop of a massive boar.

"Then stand perfectly still and I will chop your head off. That also goes for the demon behind you."

"Your senses are something." Another demon in a kimono says, coming out of his camouflage. "But the games truely do end right now."

"Blood Demon Art: Quenching Demon Thirst." The demon in robes chants and a red mist erupts from his hands and into every demon animal, altering them in a violently way. Some grew jagged blades on their back, others obtained extra heads.

"Blood Demon Art: All-out Frenzy." The other one chants then all the animals lose their minds and rush in.

Inosuke was still able to take some out but it took a lot more effort to slice through. Aoi had trouble subduing even one, finding it difficult to break through their tough hides. Inosuke begins taking more damage and gets nailed by the huge boar the demons were sitting on. Inosuke on his back was slow to get up.

"Are you a demon slayer or something? The way you barricaded this home. Is there a reason why you chose this place?"

"You talk too much." Inosuke says coughing up blood, also getting a hand from Aoi.

"You're protecting someone. Yes, I smell them in that house."

"We need backup, Inosuke." Aoi whispers.

"I remember this house too. First, we started with their stock. When we took everything, they still had the gall to smile. We wondered why and found out... they just had a child. So we sent a few foxes to steal it. It served as a good meal for my pets. The look on their faces, the mother even went blind from all that stress."

Aoi felt her veins bulging, but it was Inosuke who squeezed his blades so hard they started to crack that proved him to be the most enraged.

"His name is Kaemon, he was my family. Now you plan on taking more from me." Inosuke hisses, puffing steam out of his mask.

"Minion one... No, Aoi, hurry up and fix me, so I can send these guys to Hell."

Aoi didn't really know what went through her mind, but suddenly the knowledge to perform a technique appeared. Without questioning it, she stands behind Inosuke and places her hands on his back.

"Blood Demon Art: Life Silk... Phase One." Thousands of threads begin entering Inosuke body, reinforcing and healing his body.

"WRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY! I feel WILD!" Inosuke feels his muscles pulsating with power.

"What? Just because you got a powerup, you think..." The demon wearing the fur vest gets impaled by one of Inosuke's nichirin blades and sends him flying into the mountain with a loud explosion.

Inside the crater, the demon coughs up blood, still fazed from the impact.

"W-what was that? I couldn't sense anything. What did that girl do?"

The lower moon demon tried to move, but as he tries to remove the blade, he suddenly notices the demon slayer standing over him.

"Wha.."

Yosuke smashes his fist against the demon's face, obliterating it and watches it slowly regenerate.

"I made up my mind, you bastard. I'm gonna show you hell first myself before sending you off." Inosuke grabs his limp body by the vest and with a WRRRRYYY, pitches him right where he was before, smashing the huge boar he was on into fleshy pieces. The other demon managed to dodge and began to feel nervous watching his partner struggling to regenerate.

"Beast Breathing, Sixth Fang: Jagged Gnaw!" Inosuke jets towards the second lower moon, decapitating multiple demons but barely nicking his neck.

"This isn't going so well. I'll be using your body and your followers." He jumps to the side and lands next to the remains of his partner.

"W-what are you d-doing?" The fur vest demon grumbles as he feels his body getting drawn into a vortex.

"Blood Demon Art: Abomination!" Every demon insight is absorbed into one fleshy ball that eclipsed the moon. The massive ball begins growing arms and legs of various shapes and sizes then comes crashing down. The demon in the kimono jumps on top of his creation.

"You did well for making me unleash this technique, allow me to give you the honor of knowing my name. I'm..."

"Shut yer trap, you damn demon!" Inosuke growls as the air around him begins to vibrate.

"Blood Demon Art: Life Silk... Stage Two." Aoi places her hands on his back again, injecting more demon silk into Inosuke.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Inosuke yells as his body surges with more power, feeling as though his lungs could support more air than usual. Taking a deep breath, he leaps into the air hard enough to crack the ground.

"Tch, go! Attack him!" The lower moon yells as mangled hands and feet launch towards Inosuke.

"Beast Breathing, Eleventh Fang: Divide and Conquer!" Inosuke starts spinning so fast random cuts begin to appear over the surroundings. A few seconds of levitating from the momentum alone, the slashing orb comes falling down. Inosuke lands next to Aoi and exhales.

The demon could feel it, his body, his abomination, everything falling apart. He couldn't even think. What just happened? How did this happen? Two Lower Moons just got cut in one move by one demon slayer. The demon slowly disintegrates into nothing and wasn't even given a second thought. Inosuke was still breathing out then suddenly passes out and starts snoring. Aoi just lets out a sigh of relief and senses her demon buff leaving his body. She starts dragging him back to the house. After setting Inosuke down, she uncovers the floorboard.

"Aoi-chan, Aoi-chan... are you okay?"

"Yes."

"A-and Inosuke!?"

"He's sleeping."

The couple could only hug it out as tears form in their eyes. Aoi helps them out of the hiding spot and starts cleaning up the place. She notices Tomomi bleeding a little from her forehead. Aoi quickly applies first-aid with bandages made from her Demon Art.

"Aoi-chan, it's just a cut. I don't think I need this much." Tomomi says as she feels her eyes being wrapped up too.

Aoi doesn't say anything and lays Tomomi down to rest. After getting served a cup of tea made by the Insect Estate servant, the couple finds themselves fast asleep, in which Aoi took the liberty to clean up some more. The crow successfully completed its task of delivering the message as the clean-up brigade appears. The Kakushi who appeared were surprised by Aoi's form.

"Do everything you can to restore this house." Aoi instructs them in which they comply.

Inosuke was getting wrapped up like a mummy. A small carriage with a horse appears for the sake of taking them back. The sun was coming up too. Everything was being done in a way that it appeared demons never attacked in the first place. The carriage was sealed up tight, ensuring no sunlight would come through. Aoi was still in her normal form with Inosuke's head resting on her lap. She was petting his head as he was making *howa howa* noises, making her wonder what he was dreaming about.

_"Oi, mom!" Inosuke yells at a figure standing under a weeping willow._

_Inosuke was probably five-years-old in his dream since he was definitely smaller than his mother as he jumps into her arms._

_"I just defeated two powerful demons."_

_"My, how wonderful." Kotoha says as she hugs him._

_"Ha Ha, I even protected my idiot brother."_

_Inosuke sees his gramps in the distance watching an infant play in the leaves. His mother sets him down gently as he dashes off to meet the infant._

_"You are Kaemon, right? No worries, I kicked those demons' asses for you." Inosuke points both thumbs at himself and laughs into the air, making Kaemon laugh too._

"Hee hee, I'm the great Inosuke. No one messes with my family...Zzzzz." Inosuke mumbles in his sleep.

Aoi, a little shocked from his sleep talking, continues to pat his head, congratulating him on a job well done.

Back at the house, Takaharu wakes up to find his house fixed with some improvements. Even found a pile of elegant boxes with offerings. Opening them, he found money, food, even new farm tools causing his jaw to drop. Tomomi wakes up too and lifts herself up. In doing so her bandages fall, revealing, what used to be cloudy eyes, the deep emerald irises that her husband fell in love with.

"Takaharu-san?"

"T-Tomomi." Takaharu couldn't say anything else before breaking into tears.

* * *

Somewhere in the mountains, Giyu is underwater with rocks tied around his waist while pushing a boulder little by little. Minutes go by until Giyu finally emerges, gasping for air. With a serious blow to the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu felt the need to train harder to make up for the strength lost. Swimming towards the edge of the watering hole, he is greeted by the very reason for his change of pace.

"Tomioka-san, you know training this hard won't make people like you. Not to mention, your meal is charred over the fire. Tomioka-san, are you stupid?" Shinobu, in her chibi form, continues to berate Giyu when he suddenly grabs her cheeks with one hand and flicks her forehead with the other. Shinobu starts punching Giyu's leg as he dries himself with a towel.

He walks over to the fire to see that Shinobu was lying about the fish being charred. Shinobu also reverted back to her normal size before finding a spot next to Giyu.

"Geez, Tomioka-san, can't you take a joke." Shinobu playfully pouts as she prepares a bowl of rice for him.

"Sorry." Giyu says in his usual deadpan tone, taking the bowl and scarfing it down.

"So gloomy as usual." Shinobu scoops up another bowl of rice for Giyu.

Giyu had a grain of rice on his face in which Shinobu took the opportunity to peck his cheek, surprising Giyu and freezing him in place.

"Don't panic so much, Tomioka-san. My fangs didn't hit you." Shinobu smiles and points at her fangs.

Out of nowhere, Giyu closes the gap between their faces and locks lips with her. They held it for a good minute before Giyu backed off with a string of saliva between them then nonchalantly goes back to eating.

"Now, what in the world was that, Tomioka-san? Do you want to die? Tomioka-san? Tomioka-san?" Shinobu starts violently poking him as a vein pops on her forehead. Giyu simply continues to eat his fish feeling Shinobu's sharp nail stab him in the side. The taste that was lingering from the exchange made him wish he had fruit.


	3. Stone and Flower

Gyomei wakes up to the chirping of birds and the mewing of the cats he adopted on impulse. He carefully lifts his large body as to not harm the animals, especially the one snoozing on his chest. Instead of hearing a cat's meow, he hears a small yawn following by the rustling of clothing. It was Kanae in her small form, rubbing her eyes with her oversized haori, which had a more flower-focused design, unlike the one Shinobu wore. Gyomei was still uncertain on how to handle the situation bestowed upon him by the new commander, but he didn't want to question Oyakata-sama's family. Tears begin trailing down his cheeks when he remembers the late commander.

"Yawn~, good morning, Himejima-san." Kanae greets Gyomei.

"Ah yes, good morning, Kanae." Gyomei greets back and like the kittens around him, he pats her head, making her smile with a blush.

"He he, you finally called me by my first name."

Kanae hops off Gyomei and heads over to the kitchen with an army of cats, to feed them. She was right though, ever since he saved her, he always called everyone by their full or family name. Once the news came that Kanae died in battle, he began calling out to people close to him by their first names as an attempt to get closer with his companions. Then the regret from saving her life that eventually lead her down a dangerous path of a demon slayer then ultimately to her death, made him tear up some more. He vividly remembers telling her to not pursue that path too, but she continued forward for reasons he didn't know. It was later found out that Kanae was fine in the sunlight, however, the catch was that she would be in her small form from sunrise to sunset while she was capable of both forms during the night.

The stone pillar prepared for the day like no other, feeding the animals that roamed freely within his temple, pray, and train, all under the watchful eyes of the late flower pillar. Despite being blind he could feel her presence no problem, to the point where he could feel her soft smile. This goes on for a good while, Gyomei was eventually over his concern about Kanae being a demon as she continued on life as if she never died in the first place let alone being a demon. For now, it was grocery day and they needed food for tonight's dinner. With Kanae on his shoulder, the tallest pillar begins his stroll towards the nearest village.

"Hey, Himejima-san... or Gyomei, how does shabushabu sound or unagi no kabayaki maybe. I can cook anything you want." Kanae insists as she puts an arm over his head.

"You were always good at cooking compared to me, but maybe today you can decide."

"Eh? But my cooking is only good when it's for someone else's sake."

"T-then... gyoza if possible."

"See, that wasn't hard, but you do have some childish tastes, Gyomei. Pu pu pu~" Kanae laughs as Gyomei slightly blushes and chants his usual line.

Teasing aside, it was nice to have Kanae humming a lovely tone next to him. As to why he was instructed to be with her, probably had something to do with her ability to be in the sun like Nezuko. Demons were appearing every chance they got, but going against a pillar protecting someone they care about was a formidable opponent.

They bought groceries that were later placed in her box, very convenient. The pair suddenly stop in their tracks when they saw a pair of familiar faces, the water, and insect pillar were seen looking at some snacks on displays. The village was fairly quiet at this time, so there wasn't anyone around. Shinobu was also able to walk amongst the sunlight in both forms at the cost of not being to use breaths or demon techniques.

"Oh my, Shinobu and Giyu, they must be on a mission. Let's greet them, Gyomei."

"Let's."

The two make their way over to them, then Gyomei suddenly stops after hearing a gasp and feeling a tight grip on his ear by tiny fingers. Kanae's reason to act like this was due to witnessing Giyu pulling Shinobu back into him and playing with her hair while whispering something into her ear. Shinobu showed an embarrassed expression and Giyu kept his cold stare. As Shinobu turns her head to say something, she catches a glimpse of her older sister and elbows Giyu hard in the chest making him cough.

"Oh dear, Kanae-oneesama, good to see you. The sun is especially strong today so don't be out too long."Shinobu goes into her usual tone.

"Very good to see you too, Shinobu-chan. Giyu too. Are you shopping?" Kanae asks with a smile.

"Yes, we were stopping for lunch."

"I see, a date then?"

"Don't be ridiculous, onee-sama, we are simply taking a break during a mission."

"Hmmm, did Giyu's communication skills get so bad he had to whisper something close to your ear." Kanae couldn't help but tease her little sister watching veins pop on her forehead without changing her facial expression.

"Please don't say such trivial things, onee-sama. I'm sure your eyes are still adjusting to the sun."

Giyu, a little shaken, and Goymei just standby not knowing what to do in this situation other than watch.

"Well, we should be going. Play nice you two."

"My goodness, onee-sama, you sound like an old lady." This causes Kanae's blood to boil.

"Careful, Shinobu-chan. I'm still quite young, plus I'm in this form to boot."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"Indeed." Both start laughing, each getting louder.

"We're going to eat, good day, Gyomei." Giyu bows his head and drags Shinobu into the shop.

"namu amidabutsu."

They went on with their day, finishing their shopping among other things and returning to the temple. By this time it was nightfall and Kanae was in her adult form filling out her uniform but later chooses to wear a simple kimono. Gyomei lit Wisteria incense and started to set up for dinner. Kanae was cooking but was slightly tense thanks to Shinobu and it wasn't because she was angry with her, she was just jealous.

"To think that Giyu would be close to Shinobu-chan. B-but I'm sure she hasn't cooked for him yet." Kanae whispers to herself.

"Kanae, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes. Dinner's almost ready."

Kanae sets some hot food out as Gyomei scoops some rice from the cooker that was over the fire. Though she felt jealousy, the moment she sees a smile on Gyomei's with a mouthful of food, the flower pillar feels a warm tingly sensation flow through her. They shared a few stories, before cleaning up. Gyomei took the dishes and began washing them. He didn't expect Kanae to be so close that they were touching when she came over to help.

**~xXx~**

Giyu was deep in the woods swinging his sword, thousands of times. Shinobu just watches from atop a rock feeling a gust of wind every time his blade came down.

"Tomioka-san, Tomioka-san, are you angry?" Shinobu asks while resting her head on her hands.

"..."

"Tomioka-san." Shinobu jumps and glides right behind him.

Tomioka does one last swing then wipes his sweat off with a towel before throwing it over his head. He turns around to face Shinobu, but doesn't say anything.

"Ooooi, Tomioka-san, if you're angry, say something."

Giyu just continues to stare at her, watching her tilt her head to the side with a smile. Suddenly, Shinobu grabs the towel and pulls Giyu down for a kiss, surprising him.

"Oh, so you're not angry just training hard."

"I guess."

**~xXx~**

Gyomei was sleeping like a log and Kanae was safely resting in her box, or so he thought. She was, in fact, setting up incense of her own around the room. With her vast knowledge of medicine and poison, she made incense sticks with many purposes, one of which being strong hypnotic for sleep. This was not her first time doing this, however, for the past couple of weeks, she was attempting to send subliminal messages to Gyomei in his sleep. Failing time and time again in hoping to get the Stone pillar to feel something for her, she finally decided to do something drastic.

"Shinobu-chan is definitely behind if I do this." Kanae perches herself on top of him, closes her eyes and slowly inches her face closer to Gyomei's with her lips puckered.

Kanae was sweating and shaking, then hears footsteps approach them.

"I thought I smelled something good." It was a demon accompanied by a few others and without question were lower moon level.

The demon posted themselves at the entrance with the couple in view. They all carried a sinister look as they looked at their meal. Apparently Kanae's incense overpowered the Wisteria, negating its effects. As they approach them, they suddenly stop when they spot a glare.

"Flowering Breathing, Third form: Piercing Barberry." Kanae whispers and holds her sword over her shoulder, not sparing them a look.

Without warning, her sword extends stabbing one of the demons in the head and retracts. The demon is fazed for a second before convulsing to the ground and slowly melt into nothing.

"What!?" The demons could only show disbelief as Kanae walks up to them with murderous intent.

A few minutes pass and Kanae cleans up, trying to fix her hair and return to her place atop of Gyomei while the remains of poisoned demon slowly turn to ash. She grabs both sides of his head and attempts to go in for a kiss.

"Kanae?" Gyomei calls out, still feeling the effects of the hypnotic.

"... You appeared to be having a nightmare, Gyomei, so I tried waking you up." Kanae explains, inches away from his face.

"I see."

"I guess all is fine."

Kanae releases her grip and walks over to her box, turning into her small figure to fit inside. Gyomei later hears a muffled scream followed by some punches.

"Kanae?"

"I'm fine~"


	4. Asakusa

Giyu and Shinobu find themselves riding a train to respond to a request concerning demons attacking Tokyo. Since it was Muzan's last base of operation, Kiriya decided to send them as the most capable in case they do run into him. The sun was shining bright as Shinobu takes in the scenery while tugging on Giyu's haori to get him to see the view with her. Giyu simply goes in and out of napping. The water pillar ends up dosing off again and rests his head against Shinobu.

"Jeez, Tomioka-san, this is what happens when you don't properly rest after training."

Shinobu puffs her cheeks, watching Giyu pass out. She lets out a sigh and gently lowers his head onto her lap. The insect pillar did many things to pass the time from messing with his hair to pinching his cheek. The train stops at a station where lunch vendors were vast and were quick to approach the demon slayer.

"Young lady, how a special bento box from down south?" One vendor approaches her.

"We have a favorite from Asakusa." Another calls out.

"I have deluxe sweets."

They just kept coming all the while Giyu sleeps. Shinobu wasn't very picky, but she knew what her partner wanted.

"Then I will take an Asakusa special and anything with shimmered salmon with radish." Shinobu requests with a smile then notices a child looking over the sit in front of them.

"And one castella cake." Shinobu adds.

The train begins to take off and the whistle signals away, causing Giyu to wake up.

"Ah, good morning, Tomioka-san. I took the liberty to buy bento boxes. And could you wipe the slobber from your mouth before ruining my uniform?"

Giyu lifts himself up, adjusting his eyes to the lights inside the train. He takes his boxes from Shinobu then opens it to see his favorite, making his eyes sparkle. Shinobu giggles then helps herself to her meal. The girl who was on the other side of the seats watches the elegant Shinobu eat her food with class. The child's parents were fast asleep, but she was still full of energy as she crawls under the seats to approach Shinobu.

"You're pretty." She says.

"My, thank you so much. I think you're pretty too." Shinobu tells her, handing her the castella cake which she gladly accepts.

Shinobu laughs a little watching the girl eat the cake like a hamster and lets out a "pu pu pu" sound when she looks over to Tomioka also looking like a hamster himself. Shinobu started to converse with the little girl until she asked a loaded question.

"Are you married?" She asks with high expectations as Shinobu's left eye twitches and Giyu continues to eat another bento unfazed.

"What a particular question, what makes you think that?" Shinobu asks.

"Well, he was sleeping on your lap and..."

"Oh that, there's a reason for that. How about this, you keep this a secret and I'll buy you more sweets." Shinobu asks while putting a finger to her mouth.

The girl imitates Shinobu's action showing that she was in agreement. Once again, Giyu was going about his meal until he felt something was off and lowers his bento.

"Hmm, I have another secret, but I need you to lend an ear though." Shinobu whispers, exciting the girl as she nods and jumps onto her lap.

Giyu took this opportunity to stand up and walk out of the train car after taking his nichirin blade from behind his seat. Now, in between cars, he jumps up and quickly decapitates four demons near him. He catches the rest off-guard but takes into account just how many there were.

"Total Concentration... Water Breathing, Sixth Style: Twisting Whirlpool."

More than half are caught in the technique, killing them instantly. The others just attack hoping to land a hit but fail horribly. One demon jumps on him but gets cut in half at the torso and gets caught by the throat.

"Who is commanding you?"

"N-No commands us."

Giyu not satisfied with the demon's response beheads him and moves on to the next one. Some attempted to escape but mysteriously burst into a gory mess as if something was preventing them from running off. Eventually, one demon was left sprawled on his back with his limbs cut off and a blade at his throat.

"An Upper Moon...An Upper Moon sent us..."

"Which one?"

"I don't know... he was recently revived somehow and made himself the leader of the demons of this area."

"Revived? Does he have a name?"

"I don't know... He has eyes everywhere and knew the insect pillar was coming. You were unexpected."

Giyu collected enough information and slices the demon's neck. He possibly stumbled upon some clues on why Shinobu and the others were the way they were, but the piece that bothered him was why this upper moon was expecting Shinobu. He sheaths his sword and makes his way back to his seat to see Shinobu patiently waiting for him.

"Did you learn anything?"

"An upper moon revived and is commanding the surrounding demons in Tokyo. This Upper Moon knows you."

Shinobu feels a shiver go down her spine and has cold sweats as she grips her hakama. Giyu was quick to notice this and rests his hand on top of hers. Shinobu takes this chance to breathe to calm herself. He wasn't sure how to go about comforting her, but he knew she was someone who can keep her cool.

"I'm okay, Tomioka-san. I plan to dispatch this new Upper Moon as quickly as possible. I haven't had an opportunity to enjoy Tokyo in a while."

"Yes."

Giyu remembered his fight with Upper Moon Three and that fight was a huge reason for his harsh training. Shinobu was killed by Upper Moon Two, so their skills were going to be put to the test. He never faced Upper Moon Two and Giyu wasn't really keen on the level Shinobu was at when she became a demon. This uncertainty made Giyu worried, but they need to deal with this demon quickly. The train stops in Asakusa, the demon slayers were the last ones off and were greeted by the illuminated city. Shinobu feels a tug on her uniform and looks down to see the same girl.

"For you." She hands Shinobu a marble with purple and blue swirls. Shinobu was astonished by how beautiful it was.

"And for you. Be safe okay." Shinobu gets on one knee and hands her a Wisteria charm.

Her eyes sparkle then hugs Shinobu before running off to her parents. Shinobu slightly frowns, as the family heads into the city without knowing the dangers that were present. She walks over to Giyu who was stuck looking at a notice board full of missing people and warnings.

"Tomioka-san, I have asked this fellow for a good place to rest for the night." Shinobu introduces a man who was pulling a rickshaw.

"No problem, I know the perfect place for young folks such as yourselves to relax and enjoy Asakusa." The middle-aged man gives them a thumbs up. Giyu shows a furrowed brow in response thinking he was someone suspicious, but Shinobu was already pulling him by the sleeve and onto the rickshaw. Giyu continued to cross his arms catching glimpses of demons hopping around on the rooftops and every time he attempts to draw his sword, Shinobu would wrap her arms around his to get his attention.

"It wouldn't be wise to start a fight in this crowded area thus getting innocent bystanders involved, and besides look at all those flavors of ramune, I'm certain Kanao would like some." Shinobu leans in to convey her message.

"... Then I'll be sure to buy some ohagi for Sanemi."

"Pu pu pu, are you trying to be friends with Shinazugawa-san when you still have none?"

"Wrong, I have friends."

Shinobu cackles a little from Giyu's statement before they eventually made it to the inn. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but definitely on the high-end side. Unknown to the couple were the demon slayers eating at a nearby ramen cart. A thunder breath user was watching them enter the inn with eyes practically coming out of his skull.

"Z-Zenitsu, you're getting tea all over your uniform!" Tanjiro yells at Zenitsu who was looking back with his cup to his mouth.

"Eh? Eeeeeeh!?"

"Quiet down!"

"NO! You quiet down! Didn't you see what I saw!? That frightening yet cute insect pillar, Shinobu-chan, and that empty-eyed, water dullard..."

"You mean Tomioka-san, show some respect..."

"Shut up, you goody-two-shoes forehead dummy. They just walked into that hotel. I'm risking my life dealing with demons and that damn Giyu gets to be all waku-waku and doki-doki with Shinobu-chan. I don't like it at all!" Zenitsu yells, jumping up and down, then punches his box containing a sleeping Kaigaku who wakes up and shocks Zenitsu through the wood. Tanjiro quickly tends to Zenitsu who was knocked out cold.

_**~xXx~**_

"Even though it's already this late, the city is still this lively. Makes you forget that this place is infested with demons." Shinobu states as she looks out the window.

She was already dressed down to a light kimono with a cup of tea steaming on the nightstand. Giyu, on the other hand, was preparing to head out to hunt.

"Ara, working already, Tomioka-san?"

"... No, just asking around. I'll be back in a few."

Giyu walks out the door and heads over to the next room down. He stands in front of the door, takes a breath, then kicks the door open. Inside, more demons were caught by surprise as they were feasting on the remains of an unfortunate family. Sparing no time, Giyu darts towards them, slicing the heads off the first few while breaking the bones of others with a few well placed kicks and stomps. Without using breaths, Giyu managed to immobilize two demons and dragged them back to his room, where Shinobu was waiting in a chair with her tea in hand. Both demons were tied up and laid on the floor. The first demon had Giyu's foot holding her down while his nichirin blade was pressed against her neck.

"Good evening. You know who we are, yes?"

"Demon Slayers, I'm sure. You know you walked into a death trap, right?"

"We're aware. I just need to find out who this Upper Moon is."

"You smell just like us. Why are you helping this slayer?" The other interjects.

"Because I can't imagine myself slaughtering innocent families for the sake of food, I'd rather starve. I miss the days when I was human you know? But more importantly, if you do not wish to answer my question, I learned about this ability when I became a demon." Her smile makes the demon break into a sweat.

Shinobu gets out of the chair and sits on the floor in front of her face. Two horns start to grow from her forehead along with a butterfly tattoo creeping onto her cheek. This surprises Giyu since it was his first time seeing this. Shinobu places her hands on the sides of the demon's head.

"Blood Demon Art: Zombie Compressa."

Shinobu suddenly stabs her thumbs into the demon's temples. The eyes of the demon begin to roll back and her breathing becomes sporadic.

"I... don't... know...the name... of... who sent... us. We... are... commanded by... others... who... answer... to the upper... moon. The one... next to... me knows." After uttering her last words, she begins to foam from the mouth and bleed out her eyes until she abruptly drops her head and slowly fades away, leaving behind her clothing.

"Then let's continue." Shinobu grabs the next demon as Giyu holds him in place.

Giyu was especially wary of this demon as well as Shinobu herself. Watching the demon's eyes roll back into his head, he begins uttering slurs before his head suddenly explodes. Giyu blocks the blood spatter with his haori then looks down to see Shinobu frozen in place with a horrified look.

"Shinobu... Shinobu..." Giyu kneels down and places a hand on her shoulder.

Out of nowhere, Shinobu starts screaming and pulling her hair, jolting Giyu who grabs her hands to stop her. Despite her newfound demon strength, Giyu's training pays off as he holds her in an iron grip. He has no idea what caused her episode, but it only got worse. Shinobu's eyes were also rolling into the back of her head; she was baring her fangs that seemed longer and was thrashing about. A pillar, even a Mizunoto, knew what to do in this case, but it was Giyu. He attempts to knock her out with a neck chop, but she catches his hand in her mouth and bites down. With a hand free, Shinobu launches her claws upward to rip out Giyu's throat. He dodges to the side and yanks his hand out of her mouth then bearhugs her.

She starts struggling some more, then bites down on Giyu's shoulder. Giyu doesn't react, only stares at his blade, but then walks over to the bed and lays down. Giyu was on his back with Shinobu on top, looking at the ceiling. He only felt her fangs dig in at first then unexpectedly tears followed. He knew Shinobu was battling something, but the only thing Giyu could do was hold her down. He was strong enough to hold her body with one arm, so he uses his free hand to pat her head. Hours pass and sooner or later the sun showed its face. Giyu was still awake holding onto Shinobu but felt her demon powers recede as the sunlight hits her sleeping, tear-stained face. Her fangs become smaller and the butterfly mark disappears. From the looks of it, the worst of this whole ordeal was over as Shinobu was sound asleep.

Giyu lets out a sigh of relief as he places Shinobu on the bed and starts removing his haori, black jacket and shirt to tend to the bite mark that had some blood trailing out of it. After cleaning it up, he hears a knock at his door and heads over to answer. He opens it to find Tanjiro and Zenitsu. Zenitsu was quick to spot the bite mark and looks back and forth between a shirtless Giyu and Shinobu, who was sleeping on a bed in light clothing.

"Um Tomioka-san, did something happen?" Tanjiro asks.

"Unforgivable, Ahhhhh! So shameless!." Zenitsu starts freaking out after jumping to conclusions.

"... Ah. It's not what it looks like." Giyu finally caught on and gives a terrible explanation in his usual tone.

"Oh Ooookay!" Zenitsu huffs, laying on the sarcasm hard.

"Zenitsu, that's not how you talk towards a pillar." Tanjiro sternly tells him.

"And pillars aren't supposed to commit indecent acts like this. Arrest him, Tanjiro! Arre... GAH!"

Giyu chops Zenitsu in the neck knocking him out then grabs him by the collar before dragging him in. Tanjiro follows while apologizing to the water pillar. It took some time, but Giyu managed to explain everything that occurred late last night to the two or at least Tanjiro. Nezuko was also sleep-deprived so she made her way to the bed and found a stop next to Shinobu.


	5. Evolving

It was early morning and Giyu finds himself at the bedside of Shinobu who was sleeping in her small form with a recently placed bamboo mouthpiece. Shinobu's uniform was many sizes too big to the point where her jacket just barely covered her feet. From the looks of it, Giyu determined that she was still okay in the sunlight as she continues to snooze like a baby. The issue he had was that she was smaller than usual, not to mention what happened the previous night. Tanjiro and Zenitsu already left to stay in another room to continue their investigation of Asakusa for the day. Shinobu would occasionally toss and turn, ending up on her side, facing Giyu. He wanted to explore the surrounding forests to potentially train so more as well as find clues on the demons in the city, but leaving her alone would not be wise.

Giyu attempts to shake her awake, placing his large hand on her side, nothing. He pokes her squishy cheek, still nothing. Giyu extends his hand again and this time gets his thumb and ring finger grasped by two tiny hands. Shinobu finally opens her eyes to see her partner, though tired she nuzzles her face against his hand.

"Shinobu?"

Giyu calls out in a questioning tone, knowing that reaction was not like Shinobu. Giyu lifts his hand along with the insect pillar still clinging on. Now awake, Shinobu was sitting on the bed as if waiting for direction. He couldn't really explain it, but Shinobu wasn't all there. If she was in control, she would have easily removed the bamboo. For now, Giyu retrieves the extra box that Tanjiro brought over and places on the chair he was sitting on. He points at her then the box hoping she would understand. It was as if they were having a staring contest.

_**xX~Xx**_

Giyu walks out of the hotel with a box on his back, receiving some looks from the locals. The attention wasn't due to the box or the butterfly-themed nichirin on his back, but the small head of a child poking out from the front of his haori with sparkling eyes. Shinobu looks around, taking in the scenery all the while Giyu faces ahead set on his path to the city borders. Every time someone tried to comment on Shinobu, Giyu would quickly say they're busy and she would turn to bury her face into Giyu's chest.

Eventually, the two reach the peace and quiet of nature. Giyu walked along the border taking note of the tracks and dry blood, signs of activity. Heading deeper into the forest, Giyu decides on a spot and again starts training like mad. Shinobu was being difficult at first, clinging on to Giyu, but was eventually removed and placed on the ground wrapped in his haori where she just sat and watched. He subconsciously pats her head then receives a smile from her, making his heart warm up. Without wasting time, the water pillar strips his jacket and shirt then heads over to the sizable boulder next to them. Using concentrated breathing, he picks up the boulder and starts doing squats and pushups with the extra weight.

This Spartan training goes on until dark where Shinobu was asleep with lunar butterflies covering her like a blanket. Giyu was doing handstand pushups while sensing the movement around them. He finally takes a break and walks over to the box Shinobu was leaning on and grabs a container of water. This causes the butterflies to scatter waking the little demon. Shinobu rubs her eyes before stretching her tiny arms and looks up towards Giyu.

"Mmmph mph." Shinobu goes and lifts her hands up, demanding to be picked up.

Giyu giving her the usual cold stare, obliges and takes her in one arm then pats her head with the other. As they were enjoying the view of a full moon, a demon who looked like a city goer dashes out from the shadows with his claws out ready to pierce Giyu. In an instant, the water pillar grabs the demon's arm, twists it backwards then forces it through the demon's own head. As the demon stumbles back to regenerate, Giyu places Shinobu into the box and starts buttoning his shirt then grabs his sword. Apparently, waiting in the woods worked in the demon hunter's favor since more demons appeared, once again more civilians from the city.

"Is Muzan recruiting this many? No, he wouldn't waste his blood just to have numbers." Giyu thought to himself as more and more demons appear.

At least forty appeared under the moonlight and others stood by in the shadows. Giyu dons his jacket and Shinobu's box onto his back. He feels Shinobu tapping on the box, causing him to look up to see a floating figure in front of the moon which had a transparent figure. Suddenly ice spears coming darting from the sky towards him. Sidestepping them, Giyu finds himself cutting down demons while dodging the barrage of icicles from above. The demons were attacking holding desperate expressions as if something worse was waiting for them if they didn't kill him.

"Water Breathing, Seventh Style: Piercing Rain Drop" Giyu unleashes a stab that pierces the small figure in the sky, shattering it to pieces.

This stops the remaining demons in their tracks. The temperature of the air begins to drop drastically, causing the demons around Giyu to freeze. Keeping guard, Giyu hears footsteps coming towards him.

"Wow! It seems the pillars are growing stronger and stronger this time around. Then again so am I."

Doma walks into view with his fan covering his face.

"I heard from a crow that you were killed."

"So nice of you to remember me, despite never meeting face to face. I did die, but I guess my master found my abilities so amazing he revived me."

"Revive?"

"You shouldn't be so surprised, I mean the ones I devoured also revived. Oh dear, the new Upper Moon One was so careless with her technique."

"New Upper Moon One?"

"More importantly, let me meet Shinobu-chan. I have completely fallen head over heels for her. I wanna taste her demon form!"

Doma chimes up, causing Giyu to scowl.

"Don't be like that. Blood Demon Art: Lotus Ice."

Ice lotuses rush towards Giyu in which he responds by cutting them down. Giyu flashes behind Doma.

"Water Breathing, First Style: Water Surface Slice."

Doma manages to block it but is sent flying along with a broken fan. This came as a surprise to Doma.

"You're stronger than you look, but I'll be taking that box. Blood Demon Art: Crystal Prince."

Doma summons five copies of himself between him and Giyu. Veins begin to bulge from Giyu's forehead as he gently lowers Shinobu's box to the ground.

"Total Concentration Water Breathing, Tenth Style: The Dragon of Change."

Dashing forward Giyu begins to rotate his body as his blade catches all the attacks from the ice clones then slicing them in two. Doma retreats to the best of his ability taken by surprise once again by how strong the water pillar was. After taking out the last clone, Giyu puts Doma on the defensive as he tries to block the attacks that increased in power with each rotation. Giyu catches his other fan shattering it and aims his sword at his neck. Just as the blade was about to connect, Giyu is suddenly kicked in the stomach, launching him back. The blow was hard enough to tear a hole through his shirt and jacket. Once Giyu rolled to regain his footing, a fist comes barreling towards him in which he blocks with his sword. Giyu's blade breaks in two and the fist sends him crashing into a tree.

"Doma, stop playing around and kill this pillar." It was Akaza.

"Sorry, sorry, but you wanted a rematch with this man anyway, right? So I'm doing you a favor." Doma jokes as he walks over to Shinobu's box.

Akaza was pretty disappointed seeing how Giyu was still motionless against a tree. Doma squats down and opens the door to see Shinobu with her hands covering her head.

"So cute, I could just eat you up." Doma lifts Shinobu who was struggling to get free.

He takes off her mouthpiece and is bitten almost right away.

"That's not nice, Shinobu-chan. But rest assured, we'll be together forever." Doma hugs Shinobu in an attempt to absorb her like before.

Struggling even harder, Shinobu pushes against Doma with her tiny arms and with the last of her breath yells, " GIYU!"

Akaza senses an intense battle spirit from where Giyu was. He turns to face him, but didn't see the broken blade that was thrown at Doma that punctured his face so hard that his head snaps back with a nasty crack. Shinobu falls from Doma's grasp and lands on her behind. At that moment, Giyu is above Doma before sending a chop downward onto him causing both Doma's body and the earth underneath to crack in half. Doma's body was in a crater as Giyu stood over him with his demon mark covering more skin than before.

"So you've finally decided to fight seriously?" Akaza asks getting into a stance, deploying his Compass Needle.

"Shinobu, I don't know if you understand me, but I need you to find Tanjiro and Zenitsu." Giyu asks Shinobu without taking his eyes off the Upper Moon while taking off his torn jacket and shirt.

Without causing a fuss, Shinobu runs off with Giyu's haori towards the city. Akaza dashes off to get to Shinobu but before he could launch an attack, Giyu lands a punch against his ribs, breaking three. Shinobu manages to disappear while Akaza holds his side in disbelief.

"You actually think you can take me on with your bare hands? Don't get ahead of yourself." Akaza hisses.

"You lost before, this time won't be any different." Giyu says as his demon mark spreads further across his body.

Akaza observes Giyu take in deep breaths as his demon mark finally stops. To his surprise, the water pillar takes a fighting stance he's never seen before.

"Tomioka Giyu, was it? You can't defeat me with fists alone."

"I'm going to break your arms and legs until the sun comes up, that way you will die."

Akaza rages and deploys his Obliteration Style, however, before his fist could connect, Giyu counters with a grab, putting him into the ground. Giyu puts his knee into his back, pushing him further into the ground. At the same time, Giyu breaks the arm he countered in several places. Akaza quickly retaliates by spinning around and kicking Giyu, but before he could follow up with an attack, it's countered. Akaza uses his Leg Style: Flowing Light Flash yet his foot is brushed to the side while his other leg is bent backward from a kick from Giyu.

"I'm being pushed back in hand to hand combat, impossible!" Akaza thinks to himself, as he receives a knuckle to the chest followed by a back fist to the face sending him into a tree.

Even enough it appeared to be a one-sided fight, Giyu was suffering from both broken bones and technique that required him to take a blow in order to effectively counter-attack. For his fighting style to be effective against an Upper Moon, it also requires concentrated breathing to be pushed to the absolute limit along with his demon mark, thus Giyu was sufficiently shortening his life. Akaza leaps back into action, throwing his Crush Style: Willow of a Thousand Flashes, but misses his mark as Giyu dodges it and wraps an arm around his neck. Without Akaza realizing it, Giyu managed to recover the tip of his broken blade and incorporates it into his rear-naked choke, pressing the blade against his tough neck.

Akaza had no choice but to use all his strength to hold off against this attack. The moment he lets go of Giyu's arm that wrapped around his neck, that blade was going to slice through him. Both their bones were creaking and muscle shaking from tension. Eventually, one side started to give, Akaza could feel Giyu's blade slowly digging in.

"I'm going to lose, I'm going to die!" Akaza's thoughts are scrambling as his strength starts to fail him.

Just when a victor was about to be decided, two icicles pierce through them both. Giyu's left lung is punctured and his right thigh is stabbed all the way through. The pain was enough to jerk Giyu back, allowing Akaza to flip him over the shoulder and onto the ground. Akaza tries to stomp on Giyu's head, but he catches his foot and twists it before landing a kick of his own on the demon's face, knocking him away. Giyu gets to one knee and breaks off the protruding icicles, trying not to bleed out.

"Not good, I can't breath." Giyu is fazed in place feeling the repercussions of his injuries and powers as the demon mark starts to recede.

"You did well, Tomioka Giyu. I'll be sure to remember your name." Akaza says under his breath, clearly angry with the outcome.

"Apologies, Akaza-san. I just couldn't standby and watch a friend struggle so much." Doma states, walking behind Giyu.

Giyu couldn't move, he could only watch as Akaza prepares to split his head open. Just when Giyu was expecting the worse, he hears a faint voice.

"Blood Demon Art, Dance of the Wheel Bug: Penumbra Assassin."

It was Shinobu, not only that but a full-grown Shinobu with two thin horns growing from her forehead. She appeared between Giyu and Akaza without them noticing. What took a second for Akaza to realize was how Shinobu had pierced his neck and chest with two slender fingers. Quickly, he jumps back and looks at his wounds that began to heal. Thinking nothing of it, he immediately thinks otherwise when pain erupts throughout his whole body, freezing him in place.

"Though this is my first time using this technique. I can't imagine it being enough to kill you." Shinobu states.

Despite having on her jacket, she had to use Giyu's haori as a skirt since the rest of her uniform was left in the box.

"Oh my, it's Shinobu-chan. You're even more breath-taking in this form." Doma says in delight with his arms raised, well he thought he raised his arms.

Without noticing, Doma had a few puncture wounds on his body due to Shinobu causing his arms to melt off and his body to fall over. With both Upper Moons incapacitated, this was the perfect opportunity to finish them off.

"S-Shinobu, hurry and take their heads." Giyu struggles to voice out as he coughs up blood.

"..."

"Shinobu?"

Giyu felt her hand on his chin, lifting his head up to face her. Her expression was not normal, she looked at Giyu as if a demon was evaluating its meal and nothing else mattered.

"Did she succumb to her demon side?" Giyu thought, sweating bullets.

"Tomioka-san, if you die, who am I gonna tease?"

"Eh?"

Shinobu presses her lips against his, even slipping a tongue in. It wasn't long before, Giyu's pain slowly started to fade followed by slumber. Sleeping like a log, Giyu rests against Shinobu's shoulder, slowly catching his breath.

"I'm sooo jealous." Doma says from his frozen state, watching the two.

"You're still not dead?"

"You said yourself that I wouldn't die from mere poison?" Doma answers.

"True, but can you stop talking to me." Shinobu pouts, rubbing Giyu's head.

"Tomioka-san!" Tanjiro calls out with Zenitsu trailing behind.

"Oh, this isn't good?" Doma calls out in a playful manner.

"Shut up, Doma! Nakime! Hurry and get us out of here!" Akaza yells to the sky.

"Water Breathing, Second Style: Water Wheel!"

Just as Tanjiro was about to decapitate Doma, biwa strings are heard and the two demons disappear. Tanjiro slashes the ground and looks around in confusion.

"How? How is Upper Moon two and three alive? Akaza was definitely cut down!" Tanjiro cries out.

"Kamado-san, instead of panicking, you should help me with Tomioka-san." Shinobu calmly calls out to him while Zenitsu panics on his own time realizing the top Upper Moons were back.

They did learn an important piece of information from Doma. There's a new Upper Moon One.

_**xX~Xx**_

Giyu slowly wakes up in the butterfly estate sleeping quarters, wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

"Finally awake, Tomioka-san? It's been five days since you passed out."

Tomioka turns slightly to see Shinobu sitting in her normal form with his haori folded up on her lap.

"Can't you stay in one form?"

"My, that's the first thing you say to the one who saved your life? I'll have you know, I'm still getting used to this body."

"At the hotel, why did you lose..."

"I saw something I didn't like is all. Doma did a fine job, attacking me psychologically. It won't happen again."

"Is that so, then I have nothing to worry about... During that fight against the Upper Moons, why did you decide to ki..."

"Oh geez, Tomioka-san. For someone with a punctured lung, five broken ribs, a fractured femur, torn muscles all over, and multiple lacerations, you ask a lot of unnecessary questions." Shinobu says with a vein popping on her forehead.

"Hmm"

"Haaa~ Stop taking everything so seriously, people don't like that." Shinobu sighs and stands up to peck his cheek then his lips.

"Kocho-san! We brought some water." Tanjiro along with Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho walk in.

"Eh? Kocho-san?" Tanjiro stops in his tracks watching Shinobu slowly back away from Giyu's face.

"Hmmm, it doesn't seem like you have a fever." Shinobu goes about her business and retreats to her office while giving Tanjiro a smile.

Tanjiro and the trio, oblivious, rush to Giyu's side and happily prepare a feast after seeing him finally awake. Even though Shinobu had her back to the others, Zenitsu witnessed everything with wide eyes from outside, sneaking a peek from a window.

"It's fine. My heart is set only on Nezuko-chan, but... but... but it's not fair!" Zenitsu bawls his eyes out cursing all the happy men in the land.


	6. Recovery

Tomioka Giyu was instructed to remain in bed for a couple of days but his recovery was coming along quick. Shinobu made frequent stops to drop off his daily medicine. Shinobu wasn't lying about her body; at different times of the day, she would switch in-between forms.

Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho were tending to Giyu, carefully removing bandages. As the three were taking bandages from different areas, an unexpected fourth pair of hands held a cup of medicine to his mouth. Shinobu, the same size as the servants of the Butterfly Estate, starts to lift the cup forcing Giyu to hastily swallow. The bitter taste didn't make him change his expression, but it made his skin crawl.

"Pu pu pu, Tomioka-san, your reactions are interesting as usual."

Giyu just gave her the same stare in response, watching Shinobu examine his wound on his chest from a punctured lung. Taking out a pair of scissors, Shinobu begins to remove his stitches. Giyu's body was growing thanks to his training, but Shinobu was holding a gloomy face as she lays eyes on the scars from life-threatening wounds covering the water pillar's body. Taking notice, Giyu rests his hand on her head and presses his forehead against hers. Shinobu's cheeks flush red as she realizes what was happening, then tries to push him away with her tiny hands. The trio on the side just gasp in embarrassment watching their seniors have a friendly exchange with the patient.

"T-T-Tomioka-san, please stop. This is harassment." Shinobu protests, trying to keep her cool while turning red.

Eventually, Giyu releases Shinobu before swinging his legs over to the side.

"I'm going to take a bath."

Giyu stands up hearing his joints crack then makes his way to the bathhouse. Before reaching the door, he finds the helper trio waiting for him with a towel and a bucket with soap in it.

"Tomioka-san, we're here to help you." Kiyo chimes up.

Sumi and Naho shake their heads in agreement, but Giyu pats their heads and takes the towel and bucket from them.

"I'll be fine, give your attention to the other patients."

Giyu enters the changing room, leaving the three girls with worried looks. He carefully removes his clothing, doing his best not to agitate his wounds. With a towel around his waist, he enters the bath to find an unexpected guest. The Wind Pillar had his back to Giyu since he seemed preoccupied with something. Giyu walks over and takes a seat next to Sanemi to find that he was washing chibi Genya's hair. He still had a bamboo guard in his mouth and black scleras.

"What are you looking at?" Sanemi harshly words out as he dumps a bucket of water over Genya to wash away the soap.

"You're helping your little brother?"

"Of course I am, you moron. This fool can't defend himself, so I need to take care of him."

"That's very nice of you."

"Shut up."

Sanemi puts Genya into the hot bath and enters himself. Giyu was washing himself, taking his time hoping for some room to open up in the bath, but Sanemi was clearly taking up space on purpose. It appears Genya wasn't acting himself, if anything, he was in a juvenile state of mind as he was splashing the water like a child. Giyu decided to head in too; walking over to the two, he locks eyes with Genya before patting his head. Sanemi quickly protests by picking up Genya which in turn causes Genya to cry.

"I'm going to kill you, Giyu." Sanemi hisses as he leaves the bath with Genya in his arms.

"Sorry, I'll send some ohagi as an apology." Giyu calls out in a quiet voice, making Genya stop his tears.

"Keep your ohagi." Sanemi rudely declines, causing Genya to cry again.

The wind pillar curses under his breath before slamming the door. Giyu could still hear them on the other side.

"Sorry for scaring you, Genya, but oni-chan doesn't trust that guy. You shouldn't either. I'll make you all the ohagi you want."

Though muffled, Giyu could hear them clearly. At this point, Giyu closes his eyes while his sore body melts in the hot water. It wasn't long before he fell into a slumber.

_**xX~Xx**_

_Giyu finds himself in a familiar home that of Urokodaki Sakonji. Sitting around an irori in between his older sister and Sabito. Giyu wasn't wearing his mismatched haori, but still donned his demon slayer uniform. Across from him was his teacher along with Makomo. Despite being aware that it was a dream, Giyu took the liberty of enjoying the moment as his sister hands him his favorite dish, salmon with radish. _

_Moments later, everything gets darker and everyone around him begins to fade to dust. Now in a void, he hears footsteps. Looking around his surroundings, his eyes set upon Shinobu in a kimono holding a bundle of rice plants. Giyu also notices that he too was in a kimono consisting of Sabito and his sister's haoris. Distracted, he suddenly feels Shinobu wrap an arm around his before they started taking a stroll._

_"Ara ara, Tomioka-san, even I made into your dreams. Don't tell me I'm your only friend?" Shinobu asks in her sarcastic tone._

_"I have more friends."_

_"Pu pu pu, even now you still have childish tendencies with your answers." She cackles, poking his cheek._

_"..."_

_"Oooi Tomioka-san... Will you love me even if I'm still a demon?"_

_"Shinobu..."  
_

_Giyu is surprised by her question and looks down to his side to meet her eyes, but instead of seeing her purple hues, he finds markings of an Upper Moon etched in them. The rice plants she was holding were replaced by her nichirin and without skipping a beat, Shinobu draws her blade and thrusts it his way._

**_xX~Xx_**

Giyu jolts himself awake.

"It's not safe to sleep in the bath, Tomioka-san. That's how you catch a cold. Are you dumb?"

Giyu finds Shinobu, wearing a towel around her torso and her hair down, across from him.

"Eh? Shinobu?"

"Please don't stare so much. That's very immature."

Giyu looks to the ceiling to respect her request but hears a small laugh escape her. Then movement is heard followed by a sudden touch of the arm. Shinobu was now sitting next to him, touching arms, much like in his dream making him blush.

"Oh my, don't you know this is a mixed bath. You're not having indecent thoughts are you?" Shinobu teases him more.

Giyu looks to his side then gets a cold sweat when he remembers his nightmare. His vision of an Upper Moon overlaps Shinobu causing him to grab the sides of her arms and pushes her away.

"Shinobu... until we find a cure, can we..."

"What if I'm a demon for life?"

Giyu feels his heart sink as his nightmare was practically replaying in real life. Slowly, he gazes up to Shinobu looking concerned. As if he was expecting her eyes to change, it was clear she wasn't an enemy soon after.

"Then will you still be with me?"

"... D-D-Don't say such e-embarrassing things out of the blue. This is why you don't stay in the bath for so long. I'm going to help prepare a meal." Shinobu has an outburst with her face flushed red before breaking out of his grip and escaping. In the changing room, Shinobu holds her face feeling dizzy then quickly gets changed. Giyu just sits in place expressionless, before getting out himself. As he was changing, he concluded he had nothing to worry about. Giyu walked into the dining room to find Sanemi feeding Genya, of course, he was being ignored.

Giyu takes a seat in front of a tray and Shinobu walks in with some food. With her usual expression, she places his food down as if nothing happened.

"Shinobu... will you still marry me?" Giyu whispers.

Shinobu purses her lips and goes red. She looks up from the food to find a small smile creep onto his face. From teasing to being teased, Shinobu doesn't hesitate to shove food into the injured water pillar's mouth then storms off, out into the hallway.

Shinobu grips her chest, feeling warm. She cracks the door open to look at Giyu and finds him patting Genya's head as he was given a botamochi. All the while getting yelled at by Sanemi. Shinobu suddenly envisions herself, Giyu and a child then punches the wall cracking it.

"Master?"

"K-Kocho-san?" Tanjiro calls out to Shinobu with Kanao standing beside him.

"Ah, it was just a mosquito."

* * *

Note: Sorry about this short and rushed chapter. Very busy all of sudden with work. (๑•₃•) bu bu~


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